WANTED (The Runaways Series Book #2)

Chapter 7

Hailey

Sawyer found me.

I never told him where I lived.

I never told him anything about anything. So when I woke up to find him standing my front steps a little after noon, I felt a lot like screaming.

But he shushed me quiet before my mom showed up--just reached out and slapped his hand over my mouth hard enough hurt but soft enough to keep my skin from swelling the way it had the first time.

He promised that night would be the last time he’d ever put his hands on me as long as I listened. It took him less than seconds to break his own rules.

Mom pulled into the driveway and nearly spilled her groceries at the sight of me standing on the porch with a boy. She didn’t notice anything was wrong. I didn’t expect her to.

She’d gotten into a habit of staying as busy as possible, packing her morning, noon, and nighttime schedules with creative distractions so she could pretend that she wasn’t the woman whose life fell apart in front of the whole world.

She was a sunnier version of herself now—the proud mom who thought her little bird had spread its wings and left the nest. Her little bird was still broken. She couldn’t even see the cracks. She just smiled at the sight of me and Sawyer wide enough for her face to fall off while he poured on enough charm flood the whole world with.

He slung his arm over my shoulder to keep me cooperative and complacent, and I did what he said quietly and believably, the way all frightened girls do.

    “Afternoon’ Mrs. Anderson. It’s a pleasure to finally meet you. I’m Sawyer, Sawyer Hughes, Hailey’s boyfriend.”

Mom’s jaw dropped halfway through the floor mid-handshake and every muscle in my body went numb. Sawyer spoke like he believed the words he’d said were true—like he could make them true as long as he bent and battered me into obeying them.

This was the second time he’d waltzed into my life without permission and set my freedom on fire. His threat-laced lies slipped into the air and poisoned whatever hope I had in my mom eventually acknowledging Caleb as the only man in my life.

I’d spent the better part of a year waiting to find the right time to tell my mom the truth, to let her in on the life Caleb and I were building together, but I couldn’t anymore.

Sawyer stole that from me with a smile and I bit into my tongue to keep from spurting out the truth.

       “Oh my goodness, that’s wonderful! It’s very nice to meet you, Sawyer. Hailey’s kept you quite the secret.”

Sawyer wasn’t the secret I’d wanted to tell her about, but none of that mattered anymore. Mom’s eyes darted over to mine in time for me catch glimmers of hidden hurt bubbling behind her smile.

High school me used to tell her everything about everything. From my first kiss to my first heartache she knew all there was to know about my life. But that was before Caleb, before he needed someone to keep his secrets safe.

      “Surprise, Mom.”

My voice sputtered out of my lips like a broken record. She pulled me into a tight hug regardless. I guess she couldn’t hear my heart break.

      “I’m sorry about sneaking up on you like this Mrs. Anderson, but we wanted to wait ‘til we knew we were serious about each other to tell you,” he said.

Mom tugged on the edge of his oxford shirt like a six-year-old schoolgirl.

       “Not at all, honey. Come on in, I’d love to show you the house,” she said.